liBMBEBG 456 IiSEIBA
I^mberg, Archdiocebb of. See Lwow. ing condition, as is also the Federation of Catholic
Leon, Diocese op (Leonensis, in Amebica Cbn- students. Since the war a yearly collection has
traub), in the Republic of Nicaragua, Central Amer- been taken up in the diocese for the benefit of the
ica, suffragan of Managua. The whole territory children of Central Europe.
of the republic was originally comprised in the dio- Leopold, Archdiocbsb op. See Lwow. cese of Nicaragua, but by a decree of 2 December *^ ' xMv^*ri/iw^«i« w. wc*. ^wuvv.
1913, Leo XIII divided this diocese and erected Leopoldville, Vicariate Apostolic op (Lbopoldo- the new diocese of Leon. It comprises the prov- poutanbnbib), in the Belgian Congo. This tern- mces of Leon, Chinandega, Esteli, and Nueva tory erected in 1888 under the name of Belgian or Segovia. It IS bounded on the North by the Independent Congo, had its boundaries slightly Archdioceses of Tegucigalpa and Honduras, on the changed in 1911. and by a decree of 3 April. 1919. South and West by the Pacific Ocean, and on the a ^as erected anew under its present name. East by the Archdiocese of Managua and the Another Decree of 31 May. 1921, changed its bound- Vicariate Apostolic of Bluefields. The first bishop aries again, taking the northeastern part of the was Rt. Rev. Simeon Pereira y Castellon, bom region of Mayomba and annexing it to the Pre- in this territory in 1863, appointed titular Bishop fecture Apostolic of Matadi. It now comprises that of Diocffisarea 2 December, 1895, at the age of part of the Congo between Boma and Kionza ex- thirty-two, and made coadjutor to tjie Bishop of tending as far as the French Congo. It is entrusted Nicaragua, succeeded to that see 31 July, 1908. to the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of and was transferred to Leon 2 December, 1913, and Mary of Scheutveld, the present vicar apostolic was also named titular Archbishop of Cyzicus 15 being Rt. Rev. Camille Van Ronsle, appointed January, 1914. He was made an assistant at the titular Bishop of Lymbrias, 6 June, 1896. The pontifical throne 20 December, 1920, and died 2 episcopal residence is at Leopoldville. By latest February, 1921. He was succeeded by Rt. Rev. statistics the vicariate comprises 11 missions or ?^^^l^7^J?JP° ?^ Loaiciga, appointed 21 Decem- stations, 11 churches, 4 chapels, 4 convents of Sifl- ber, 1921. The diocese compr^es a population of ters, 33 regular clergy, 2 houses with 20 Brothere 199,000; no statistics are yet published. and 8 other Brothers scattered through the various Leon, DiocESB op (I^nensib: cf. C. E., missions, 1 preparatory seminary with 25 students, IX-177C), in the State of Guanajuato, Mexico, H elementary schools with 925 pupils, 2 industrial sufifragan of Michoacan. This see is filled by Rt. schools with 70 pupils, 1 dispensary. 1 orphanage Rev. Emeterio Valverde y Tellez, bom in Villa ^or bpys and 2 for girls. The Government giv^ a del Carbon, Mexico, 1864, canon of the archdio- certam amount of financial assistance to the Catho- cese and secretary to the archbishop, appointed 7 ^® institutions.
August, 1909, to succeed Archbishop Moray del j^ -r^^ Tv.^r«a« ^« / a ^TT/^».i^c„a . ^ n v
Rio, promoted. The 1920 statistics credit the dio- TvlJ^/n Ji^^T^.JL!:t'^f^ZiJt ^in^p"
cese With 800,000 inhabitants, 12 canons, 6 chapters, S^n 'nf Pnn^T'^TW ^^^^^
1 seminary with 24 professois, 25 parishes, 2 vica^ SF^8*°,?^ Bourses. The see is filled by Rt. Rev.
nopf«rfl 9^^ Qomiior a«rJ Qo J^«,^..%i™r «^ Thomas Boutry, bom m Neuvy, France, 1845, or-
tthes and chLoels^^ ^ ^' ^^""^^ ^^^* «*^^«i ^* *^« ^^nch seminary in cnurcnes ana cnapeis. ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^ ^.^^j^j. chancellor in 1883, vicar gen- Leon (Legionensis), Diocese of (cf. C. E., IX- eral in 1893 and appointed bishop 31 May, 1907, to 175a), suffragan of Burgos, in Spain. The present succeed Bishop Guillois, retired. The jubilee of bishop of the diocese is the Rt. Rev. Joseph Alvarez Our Lady of Le Puy, one of the oldest in the y Miranda, b. at Minera, 11 December, 1851, or- church, celebrated during the Middle Ages when- dained 18 December, 1875, elected 18 July, 1913, ever Ascension Thursday fell on the feast of the consecrated 21 November, enthroned 7 December fol- Immaculate Conception, was celebrated in 1921, lowing and published 25 May, 1914. The population Ascension Day following on 24 March, the day of the diocese consists of Europeans, all of wnom are before the feast, and the jubilee opened on that Catholics. In 1921 the diocese contained 863 par- day and lasted for eighteen days, closing on 10 ishes, 1312 churches, 5 monasteries, and 1 convent April, the second Sunday after Easter. The 1920 for men, 15 monasteries, 27 convents for women, statistics credit the diocese with a population of 985 secular priests, 90 regulars, «2 seminaries with 303338, 280 parishes, 202 vicariates, 30 chaplains 382 seminarians. The following educational institu- and chaplaincies, 649 priests, of whom 37 are pro- tions exist in the diocese : 4 colleges for men with fessors, 78 retired and 22 filling various other posts, 83 professors, 850 students, 52 for women, 77 pro- 3 houses of Brothers, 5 cloistered convents, and 15 fessors, 1325 students, 5 secondary schools, 16 teach- religious communities, ers, 800 students (720 boys and 80 girls), 8 acad- emies, 74 professors, 962 students (850 boys, 112 Lerlda, Diocese of (Illerdbnsis; cf. C. E., IX- girls), 2 normal schools, 24 teachers, 250 students, 188c), suffragan of Tarragona in Spain. According a training school, 15 teachers, 225 students, 1044 to the statistics of 1921 the Cathohcs number 189,- elementary schools, 3 industrial schools, 9 teachers, 700. The diocese contains 257 parishes, 3^ 180 students. The schools are all supported by the churches, 4 convents for men, 33 for women with Government. The diocese has the following insti- 381 sisters, 450 secular priests and 67 regulars, tutions: 7 hospitals, 6 asylums, 8 homes for the Through the initiative of the Rt. Rev. Joseph aged and infirm, 2 day nurseries, 9 charitable insti- Mirailles y Sbert, the episcopal heraldic gallery of tutipns of various kinds. The principal events Lerida, after a thorough search of its archives, has which have taken place since 1913 are the follow- been placed in the hall of the episcopal palace, ing: the royal collegiate church of St. Isidor was Due to the influence of the above mentioned prel- completety restored and opened to the faithful, six ate the ancient cathedral was declared a national new religious communities were established. The monument by royal order on 12 June, 1918. The ninth centenary of the Fuero, or charter of rights present incumbent is the Rt. Rev. Joseph Miraillea of Leon was celebrated, a magnificent hospital was y Sbert, b. at Palma de Mallorca (Balearic Islands), opened under the patronage of the bishop and the 14 September, 1860, ordained 7 June, 1884, elected cathedral chapter, the Federation of Catholic rural 28 May, 1914, to succeed Mgr. Ruano y Martin, syndicates was established and is now in a flourish- deceased.
